The escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan following India’s precision strikes on terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has seen the spread of misinformation by Pakistani elements. These deliberate attempts aim to undermine the ground reality and instil fear among the Indian population.
Following India’s retaliation during Operation Sindoor against the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, social media handles based in Pakistan launched an intense misinformation campaign. The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) swiftly countered and debunked these efforts.
Between late Wednesday night and early Friday, PIB's Fact Check Unit refuted seven instances of misinformation spread by Pakistani sources. The PIB Fact Check exposed these claims, set the record straight, and condemned the ongoing misinformation campaign.
One of the false claims involved a video purportedly showing a drone attack in Jalandhar, which was confirmed to be footage of a farm fire. The PIB noted that the video was posted at 7:39 PM, well after the drone attacks from Pakistan had commenced. The District Collector of Jalandhar corroborated this clarification.
Another instance falsely claimed that the Pakistani army had destroyed an Indian post. PIB debunked the video, revealing that it was staged and part of Pakistan’s propaganda. The PIB also pointed out that the "20 Raj Battalion" shown in the video did not exist in the Indian Army.
A separate misleading claim involved an old video of a missile attack, which was falsely attributed to Pakistan launching a missile at India. PIB identified the footage as being from an explosive attack in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2020.
Another viral piece of misinformation concerned a 'fidayeen' attack on an Army brigade in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir. PIB confirmed that no such attack had occurred, labelling the claim as an attempt to cause confusion.
PIB also debunked a purported confidential letter from the Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS), General VK Narayan, regarding military preparedness. The letter was completely fabricated, with PIB highlighting that General Narayan is not the CoAS.
A further claim circulated that the Indian military used Ambala Airbase to attack Amritsar and its citizens. PIB exposed this claim as false. Source:
Finally, a post spread across social media alleged entry bans into airports across India. PIB debunked this claim, confirming that no such decision had been taken by the Union Government.
PIB’s timely actions have been crucial in debunking fake news and protecting the public from misleading information during this critical period.
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